Danger, Winter Jackets Ahead

When a child is wearing a warm winter coat, he may feel like he is strapped snugly into the car seat but the fact is the restraining belts are actually dangerously loose.

Now that the mercury has dropped to levels not seen since last winter, you may be thinking hard about keeping your children warm when they’re outside. While the risk of frostbite and hypothermia may be on your mind you may actually be putting your child at greater risk by bundling them up for their next ride in the family car. If you’re unfamiliar with the ‘bulky coat, car seat’ warning, here’s what Consumer Reports has warned parents of:

“As a general rule, winter coats should not be worn underneath the harness of a car seat. A bulky coat under a child seat harness can result in the harness being too loose to be effective in a crash. Here is a simple way to check if your child’s coat is too big and bulky to wear under their harness:

Put the coat on your child, sit them in the child seat and fasten the harness. Tighten the harness until you can no longer pinch any of the harness webbing with your thumb and forefinger.

Without loosening the harness, remove your child from the child seat.

Take the coat off, and put your child back in the child seat and buckle the harness straps, which are still adjusted as they were when he was wearing the coat.

If you can now pinch the webbing between your thumb and forefinger, then the coat is too bulky to be worn under the harness.”

Not convinced that these guidelines are worth following, watch this video:

Just 50 Kph in a puffy, winter coat, and a child goes flying right out during a collision. “Bulky clothing, including winter coats and snowsuits, can compress in a crash and lead to increased risk of injury. Ideally, dress your baby in thinner layers and tuck a coat or a blanket around your baby over the buckled harness straps if needed.” Being properly harnessed means “the straps are coming from at or below the rear-facing child’s shoulders OR at or above the forward-facing child’s shoulders. When buckled, you should not be able to pinch the webbing at the shoulder. The chest clip is at armpit level.”

Winter coats and car seats do not mix! In a crash, winter coats become compressed and allow a child to be ejected from the car seat through the obvious slack in the restraints.

While children may complain about feeling cold sitting in the car, take comfort that it is infinitely preferable to sitting in the warmth of a hospital bed.

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Recently while in Budapest my wife developed an abscess. The evening of the 28th of December I called FirstMed and made an appointment for my wife at 9 am the following morning. The quality of service…[Read more]– James Davis

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As a former employee, and patient, I may be a bit biased, but FirstMed is family. [My doctor] diagnosed me with a heart murmur, she held my hand throughout the entire process…[Read more]– Suzi Shepherd

FirstMed services deserve to be well-known in Budapest, your overall standard of care is truly outstanding. Your nursing staff were all so attentive and professionally competent that even though my lumbar/sciatic pain…[Read more]– Douglas Johnson

I want to thank every doctor, nurse and receptionist for treating me kindly and going out of their way to make the four visits pleasant. I was in terrible pain and really appreciate the outstanding service in a foreign country. I HIGHLY recommend everyone there.– Lisa Rinaldi

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As a first time Mum I did not know what to expect and FirstMed was able to guide me though the medical pre-natal issues and also the softer non-medical issues such as hospital tours..[Read more]– Jenny and John M.

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Thank you very much!– A.J.

I have been to your click twice, met with two doctors, they are wonderful. One is the Orthopedist, and the other one is the eye Dr. Peter Gyöngyösi. They both are very professional and friendly, make you feel very comfortable and welcomed. The receptionists are also very friendly.– Yan. S.

[Dr. Detra] I was the 21-year-old Hong Kong young man who had visit First Med for a small surgery on my leg due to the pus. I have kept visiting clinic for cleaning the wound in Poland and Czech after travelling to there. [Read more]– Cheuky Lai- Hong Kong

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Very positive experience, from the receptionist, to the nurse, the lab assistants, the physician. Everybody is very professional and at the same time prioritize the customer experience.[Read more]– L.T.

I have visited FirstMed several times and I have always found it to be helpful. I go to a private doctor because my experience with Hungarian doctors who do not work in the private sector is that they do not listen to patient needs. I will return should my health situation require another visit. Thank you for providing a quality service.[Read more]– Dr. B.E.